Thursday, June 26, 2008

Monday, June 23, 2008

Well, we made it to Windermere in Missouri. Chris, Zach, Seth and I started out early (up @ 4:45) this morning to catch our flights here.We were an hour late for sound check and changed a bunch of songs from our original song list when we got here, but the first day went well. Preparing for worship tonight was a bit stressful, but as we were preparing the guys and I stopped and spent some time praying. It was awesome to remember that we are not here leading worship for 1100 students so they can think we are cool, but we are doing it so God will get the glory. During our prayer time each one of us voiced our desire for Him to be the center of attention and I think He honored that.Please pray for the four of us, our families as we are gone and the students, leaders and staff that are here with us this week.More later...

Friday, June 13, 2008

Well, I didn't get to post this morning like usual, but here are the songs for this weekend:Sing, Sing, SingOh Happy Day (we are doing this with the kids this weekend)Watching You (Rodney Atkins - for Father's Day)Spirit, ComeKnees to the EarthMarvelous LightI am excited that our worship leader from our Cancun Campus, Kaycee White, is back with us this weekend. It will be wonderful to lead with her - just like the good 'ole days!

This is a video from one of the services this past weekend where we introduced a new song called "I Need You." We did the song during a response time while people were coming forward for prayer. I think it worked well.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Every once in a while, I go back and read through entries in my personal journal. Now, let me say that I really am awful at journaling - which is partly why I started blogging. Having the accountability of posting will, hopefully, help me be more consistent.Anyway, I was reading some entries from late in 2005. That was a really rough time for me in a few ways, and I was journaling a lot at the time. It is so amazing to see how God was at work in my circumstances and how He used my pain for His glory and my good.I'm not sure about the translation, but I noted this verse and it jumped out at me again today:"Thank the Lord because He is good. His love continues forever. That is what those whom the Lord has saved should say..." Psalm 107:1I love the idea - THAT is what we should say!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Getting ready to head in to have our final production meeting for the weekend. The good news is we have already received the message via video stream from Mark in Africa, so this weekend will be a lot less stressful than last - since we were still downloading the message at 4:30 last Saturday!

Here's the weekend's song line up:Hear Our PraisesBlessed Be Your NameCity of GodI Need YouMy Everything

I am praying that we have an awesome breakthrough in worship this weekend. It is so heavy on my heart that people are in need of an authentic encounter with Holy Spirit this weekend. I am trying to submit and wait on God instead of pushing and trying to make it happen myself. But, when I feel that God is ready to do something special, I get so pumped! I am praying today that God will give me clear direction on what to say and how to lead the service so He gets a lot of glory. Pray with and for me if you get the chance!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The worship team and I had a little retreat several weeks ago and ate at a little hole in the wall called King's Cafe. Two weeks ago, I was driving by the place again - and to my dismay it had closed. We were some of their final customers and didn't know it.Join me in remembering the good times at King's by clicking here. (Thanks to Sherry for her video skills that day.)

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

My mom passed away three years ago. She was an amazing woman - a prayer warrior and an encourager.This morning I was flipping through my Bible and I found a lengthy letter written by a friend of mine about the impact that she had made. My friend talked about how my Mom was such an encouragement and her little hand-written notes meant so much to so many.It reminded me that everything I do should be done in love, and should be to encourage people to become all that God wants them to be.I am a judger by nature. If you look at my Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment, that is what it says. I just naturally evaluate everything. That is one of the things that makes me good at my job, but that is also one of the things that can cause me to miss opportunities to love people.Even in the process of evaluation, I am choosing to do it with love today.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

I have been thinking a lot about what I do as a local church worship leader. What I do well, what I don't do well, how I can improve in areas of leadership, musicianship, creativity and spirituality. Every so often I hit one of the stretches where I analyze who I am and what I am doing.I have been thinking about taking vocal lessons (I think I have developed some bad vocal habits), guitar lessons, and writing songs more. I get myself all worked up about how I should be better.Then, today I was reading about the story in Genesis 24 where Abraham sends a servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac.A.W. Tozer makes an interesting observation:"The adornment of her (Rebekah's) beauty consisted of the jewels and the raiment that came as gifts of love from the bridegroom whom she had not yet seen...It is a reminder of what God is doing in our midst right now...He gives us one by one the beauties, the gifts, the graces of the Holy Spirit...Thus, we are being prepared, and when we meet Jesus Christ as our coming Lord and King, our adornment will be our God-given graces and gifts." - from Whatever Happened to WorshipMy life is a preparation for spending eternity with Jesus, the Lord of all beauty. The only things that prepare me for that are the gifts and graces He gives me. Therefore, I should spend my life receiving and walking in them, not trying to become beautiful of my own accord.I am not saying we should not practice our crafts or try to improve our abilities as leaders - but, the key is keeping our efforts focused on the gifts and graces that Holy Spirit has given us, not the ones we think will make us better.